In an effort to honor the achievement of exceptional student-athletes, the Missouri Valley conference has created the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award. Eleven student-athletes have been named by Commissioner Jeff Jackson as the honorees for the 2026 Spring season.
This year’s Spring honorees include Maggie Swarr, Belmont, Women’s Track & Field; Austin Comstock, Bradley, Softball; Tatum Aragon, Drake, Softball; Sophia Otten, Evansville, Softball; Mary Quinones, UIC, Women’s Track & Field; Bailah Bognar, Illinois State, Softball; Trent Jones, Indiana State, Men’s Track & Field; Kane Elmy, Murray State, Baseball; Millie Hill, UNI, Women’s Track & Field; Josh Hyneman, Southern Illinois, Baseball; Moira Silva, Valparaiso, Women’s Tennis.
Maggie Swarr, Belmont, Women’s Track & Field, Junior
- 3.91 GPA
- Dean’s List (five semesters)
- Bruin Pride Award winner (2026)
- Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society member
- Community Service:
- YoungLife Capernaum,
- City Friends Church Group
- Belmont SAAC Representative
- Belmont Sports Ministry Leader
- Former YoungLife Leader at Valor High School
- Mission trips to Costa Rica (Spring 2024, Spring 2026)
- Mission trip to Poland (Summer 2024)
Austin Comstock, Bradley, Softball, Senior
- 4.00 Cumulative GPA as a Psychology Major with Family & Consumer Science and Ethics Minors
- Dean’s List (Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025)
- Athletic Directors Honor Roll (Fall 2022 – Fall 2025)
- MVC Honor Roll (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25)
- Commissioner’s Honor Roll (2023-24, 2024-25)
- Braves Council Representative (Fall 2025 – Current)
- BOLD Institute (Student-Athlete Leadership Institute) (2025-26)
- PNC Achiever (Spring 2026)
- Community Service:
- OSF Small Wonders Walk
- Peoria Humane Society
- OSF Miracle Walk
- Wags for Mags
- United Way- Peoria Dream Center
- Western Avenue Greenway Project
- Courtyard Estates of Farmington
- Cards for Kids
- Peoria Parks District Youth Sports
- Pet Pack Rescue Initiative
- Luthy Botanical Gardens
- Night Out with the Braves
- Power of Sport Initiative
- C.T Vivan Primary School
- Charter Oak Primary School
- KaBoom! Back to School Camp
- Goodwill Industries
- Together We Win Program
- St. Mary’s School- Read Across America
- Pearce Community Center Spooktacular
- Peoria Friendship House
Tatum Aragon, Drake, Softball, Senior
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a concentration in Behavior Analysis and Developmental Disability
- Dean’s List (Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025)
- Community Service:
- GiGi's Playhouse Des Moines (over 160 hours)
- GiGiFit for Adults and Teens
- Music Makers
- Fantastic Friends
- Trunk-or-Treat
- GiGiKitchen Teen
Destinations Discovery
- Art Explosion
- Language Music N’ Our Peps
- One-on-one tutoring
Sophia Otten, Evansville, Softball, Freshman
- Cumulative 3.721 GPA
- Dean’s List (two semesters)
- Community Service:
- Most community service hours recorded for the entire freshman class across all sports
Mary Quinones, UIC, Women’s Track & Field, Senior
- Honor College Student
- MVC Honor Roll (2023-2026)
- UIC Flames Scholar-Athlete (2023-2026)
- Undergraduate Research Forum Presenter (Spring 2026)
- Dean’s List (2023-2026)
- Graduated with Honors (May 2026)
- Community Service:
- Team Captain
- Team United Treasurer
- Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Treasurer
- SAAC Tailgate Initiative – Event Coordinator
- Micromobility Security Innovation – Research Lead
- International Athletic Shoe Donation Drive – Founder and Organizer
- Busy Burger – Corporate Sponsorship Facilitator
- Greater Chicago Food Depository
- UIC Fee Committee (2024-25, 2025-26)
Bailah Bognar, Illinois State, Softball, Senior
- 4.00 cumulative GPA in Business Administration & Marketing
- Illinois State University Athletics SAAC Representative (Executive Board Secretary Fall 2024 - Current)
- Illinois State University Athletics Honor (Every Semester)
- Illinois State University Dean’s List (Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025)
- Illinois State University Honor’s Program Scholar
- MVC Academic Honor Roll (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26)
- MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award (2023-24, 2024-25, 2025-26)
- MVC President’s Council Academic Award (2025-26)
- Easton/NFCA Team All-American Scholar Athlete (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25)
- Community Service:
- 100 Caring Adults
- Illinois State University Curb Birds
- Glow Run Volunteer
- Day of the Dozer
- Midwest Food Bank
- Red Cross Evening of the Stars
- Miller Park Zoo Holiday Lights/Show Decorations Setup Volunteer
- ISU Softball Community Clinic
- Bloomington/Normal Constitution Trail Clean Up Volunteer
- Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington/Normal- Softball Practice Volunteer
- Salvation Army Neighborhood Block Party Volunteer
- Evergreen Senior Living Bingo Night Volunteer
- Heartland Havoc Fastpitch Volunteer Coach
Trent Jones, Indiana State, Men’s Track & Field, Senior
- Marketing Major
- Honors College
- Finished 13th nationally for the RN MKRS Speedsell competition
- Dean’s List
- Community Service:
- Swim Meet timer
- Track & Field meet volunteer
- Donaghy Day
- Coached youth track and field
Kane Elmy, Murray State, Baseball, Graduate
- Graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Integrated Studies Degree (Major: Integrated Studies - Applied Sciences)
- President’s List (Spring 2024, Spring 2025)
- Dean’s List (Fall 2023)
- Chi Alpha Sigma (Inducted Spring 2025)
- Community Service:
- Miracle League
- Murray-Calloway Country Need Line
- Racers Day of Service
- Classroom of the Month
- SW Calloway Elementary School Kid’s Day
- Racers Read
- Journey Bags (Partners with the local hospital to be sure that every cancer patient at their Cancer Center who is receiving an initial cancer diagnosis receives a Journey Bag.)
- Kindergarten Night (Potential incoming kindergarteners open house at a local elementary school.)
- A Night at the Ballpark
Millie Hill, UNI, Women’s Track & Field, Senior
- Dean’s List (Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026)
- MVC Track & Field Scholar-Athlete Team (2024, 2026)
- MVC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Team (2024)
- MVC Honor Roll (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award (2023, 2024)
- Community Service:
- SALT Company student ministry
- Student Connection Group Leader (Fall 2022- Spring 2024)
- Overseas mission trip to Indonesia (Summer 2023)
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes
- Bible Study
- Women’s Bible Study
- Candeo Church
- Women’s Athletic Leadership Committee
- NE Iowa Food Bank
- BackPack the Dome
- Gift of Giving
- Special Olympics
Josh Hyneman, Southern Illinois, Baseball, Senior
- 3.8 GPA in Bachelor's of Science from Southern Illinois University
- Two-time SEC All Honor Roll at University of Arkansas
- Community Service:
- Arkansas Baseball Camp (2022-2024)
- Max Velocity Annual Christmas Pitching Camp (2023-2025)
- Head Coach Arkansas Sliders 14U Travel Ball Team (2024)
- Santa Barbara Community College Baseball Camp (2025)
- SAAC Member (‘25-’26)
- Nominated SAAC President (2026)
Moira Silva, Valparaiso, Women’s Tennis, Senior
- 3.399 Cumulative GPA
- Sigma Theta Tau (top 35% of nursing class)
- Valparaiso University Presidential Academic Honors Honoree (2023)
- Community Service:
- Leads Bible studies for peers
- Consistent volunteer at Café Manna soup kitchen
- Worship Band
- Valpo Athletics events volunteer
- SAAC team rep